About Bergli Books - our history & future

Bergli Books was founded on a whim in 1990 by Dianne Dicks who decided to publish the anthology of stories about living in Switzerland Ticking Along with the Swiss since she had not been able to find a publisher in London or New York who would consider it. It was a wild idea and a good challenge considering the shoestring budget at hand.  

To her own surprise, the book (and many that followed) became a huge success and has been reprinted many times. The Bergli titles appeal to anyone interested in making the most of life in Switzerland, especially to the Swiss themselves, at home and abroad, who enjoy discovering the many fascinating facets of their upbringing, attitudes and values through these pages. Dianne Dicks was able to find many international and Swiss writers who are skilled observers of the many opportunities available in Switzerland to understand Swiss ways and enjoy living and working here.

For eight years between 2002 and 2011, in addition to publishing, the Bergli Bookshop opened its doors in the heart of Basel. It was a successful business and a wonderful meeting place for book lovers and international people. Monthly 'Talk Parties' and book discussions were held. Unfortuntely a partner could not be found to take over the management and responsibility of the bookshop. Given the choice of retiring or continuing publishing, Dianne had to decide to close the shop and go back to the core business and focus her still abundant energy and ideas on publishing. Since there is obviously a need for English books that focus on Switzerland, she hopes to find someone who can take over the responsibility for this successful publishing niche business.

Monica Vischer Richter is publishing partner and brings to Bergli her many talents and skills from her years of working in publishing and in bookshops.

There's never a dull moment at Bergli. We are currently working on Margaret Oertig's new book Going Local about Swiss schools so that parents coming here are better informed about opportunities for their children. Also due soon is Diccon Bewes new book Swisscellany - a collection of facts and figures about Switzerland. And for all Baslers who have been telling us that Hoi - your Swiss German survival guide is great but a pity it is in the Zürich dialect, we have good news. A new edition in Baseldeutsch is in preparation.

Please help to spread the word about our books. We appreciate feedback, criticism and your ideas. Bergli is for you.

For our current catalogue of books please download the PDF file below or view it as our online e-catalogue.

Bergli Books Catalogue Autumn 2011 PDF (4MB)


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Bergli Books AG
Falknerstrasse 13
4001 Basel, Switzerland
Phone +41 61 373 27 77
eMail:info@bergli.ch